Narodnaia Volia Is to Pay 15 Million Rubles to Plaintiffs from Klietsk and Salihorsk
According to RFE/RL
On 9 June Minsk Leninski Borough Court obliged Narodnaia Volia newspaper to pay 3 million rubles to each of the three plaintiffs from Klietsk -- physician-in-chief of the medical department of Klietsk Piatro Talaika, director of a village school Lilia Libier and the brigade commandant Ivan Hudzka. Before that the court also obliged the newspaper to pay 2 million rubles to each of the three workers of Belaruskali plant, who demanded from the newspaper 50 million rubles as compensation of moral harm. The court found the publication of their surnames under the statement about creation of the movement People’s Will and obliged the newspaper to publish a confutation.
Each of them demanded to find the publication of their signatures under the statement about the establishment of the People’s Will movement false and insulting and to oblige the newspaper to pay 5 million rubles as compensation. Narodnaia Volia chief editor proposed to the plaintiffs to refuse from financial claims, saying that the newspaper would publish confutation. However, Klietski citizens didn’t agree to it. During their speeches at the court they stated their support to president and said they hadn’t signed the appeal.
According to Mikhail Pastukhou, chair of the center of juridical assistance to mass media, the information that was published in the newspaper was really corrupt. However, he believes there were no reasons for obliging the newspaper to pay compensations for moral harm to them, because the text of the appeal under which their surnames were printed didn’t contain anything insulting for their honor and dignity.
Iosif Siaredzich hasn’t yet decided whether he would complain against the court verdicts. At present Narodnaia Volia has to pay 15 million rubles, about $7 000 to the plaintiffs.
On Monday the consideration of the suit of Siarhiei Haidukievich, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, to the newspaper will be considered at the same court. Haidukievich demands to find libelous the information about his debt to Hussein regime and pay to him 200 million rubles as compensation.
